One hundred Rangers and Celtic fans bared all at Scotland’s Hampden Park stadium in Glasgow in 2007 as part of the Stripped Naked project to end sectarianism in football.
Ecuador international striker Otilino Tenorio made a name for not only scoring goals, but also celebrating them by pulling on a Spider-Man mask. He died aged 25 in a 2005 car crash.
The world keepy-uppy record was smashed by more than four hours in 2009. Dan Magness, 25, kept a football in the air using his feet, legs and head for a marathon 24 hours in front of crowds at London’s Covent Garden; the previous record had been 19 hours and 30 minutes. Just seconds away from reaching the 24-hour mark, Magness relaxed as the crowd cheered him on and almost lost control of the ball. He managed to regain his composure and the exhausted Magness passed his magic milestone. The feat went into the Guinness World Records, which allowed Magness, from Milton Keynes in southern England, only a few brief pauses in order to relax his muscles.
Many fans had to watch garnes at the 2006 World Cup wearing only their underpants because of a ridiculous FIFA demand. Many Dutch fans turned up wearing garish patriotic orange lederhosen carrying the name of a Dutch beer, Bavaria. But because the beer was not an official World Cup sponsor, security staff at Stuttgart made Dutch supporters take their trousers off – leaving many of them to watch Holland’s 2-1 victory over the Ivory Coast in their underwear. FIFA was unrepentant, claiming it had done nothing wrong and was entitled to defend itself against what it called «ambush marketing».
Brazilian player Edmundo hit back in 1999 over claims that animals were mistreated at a party for his son’s first birthday. After facing prosecution by animal welfare groups Edmundo, who had played for 18 clubs in Brazil, Japan and Italy in a 20-year career, proved the accusations were false. The allegations included making a chimpanzee called Pedrinho drunk on beer and whisky.
Many people will be hoping that young Norwegian striker Daniel Forlandsaas will turn out to be a thoroughbred at his trade because they have horseracing-style shares in him. Pieces of the action were being offered via the internet in 2010 to investors prepared to gamble that Forlandsaas will make the big time. The offer to potential investors, who pay €2,000 annually, is a 10 per cent share in the 20-year-old and a chance to profit from any subsequent transfer fees.
Benin sacked the entire team and coaching staff following their first-round exit from the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. Ironically, the sweeping change came after the country’s joint-highest showing at the tournament. In 2004 and 2008 the squad failed to earn a point but in 2010 they drew with Mozambique, whom they pipped to third in Group C on goal difference. It would seem there was no disgrace in the third spot because the Squirrels were behind eventual winners Egypt and semi-finalists Nigeria. The FA cited a lack of patriotism and mass indiscipline as the reasons for the cull.
Goalkeeper Willie Foulke was probably the fattest ever to play in English first-class football. The 22 stone 3 lb giant, nicknamed Fatty, who played for Chelsea and won the FA Cup of 1902 with Sheffield United, blew up to 25 stone by the time he joined Bradford City in 1906.
Len Shackleton, one of the most talented inside forwards of the 1940s and 1950s, had a way of uniting city clubs that were usually pitched against each other in intense rivalry. He was a rare beast in being a favourite with both Newcastle United and Sunderland supporters when with their teams. Although a Bradford City fan he was signed to Bradford Park Avenue and once turned out for both clubs on the same day. He had an impish sense of humour and famously, in his autobiography Clown Prince of Soccer, he had a chapter headed: The Average Director’s Knowledge of Football, which was just an empty page.
Grays Athletic goalkeeper has the distinction of scoring two goals in two minutes. In a match versus Hendon in 1995, he drop-kicked a ball that bounced in the D of the other penalty area and crept in just under the crossbar. This was in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. In the second minute of the second half and ironically in the same net in which he had scored, he touched an indirect free kick into his own goal.
Fans watched in amazement when a referee walked out of an English First Division match in 1914. The official, H. Smith, had sent off Oldham Athletic full back Billy Cook who refused to go. Smith walked off, abandoning the match 30 minutes early.
Half of Sheffield Wednesday’s players in the 1886-87 season defected to another local side because Wednesday were not in the prestigious FA Cup. A club official had forgotten to enter them.
